Page 66 of Penny & Royce

He scratched at his jaw and turned slightly so his forearm rested against the counter. “I can’t let her go to that wedding alone.”

The words sounded noble enough.

Almost.

But even as he said them, Royce knew they weren’t the whole truth. How could he explain the buzzing sensation in his head whenever he thought about Penny being there on her own? He wasn’t the jealous type, and yet that was the best way to describe what he was feeling.

Emerson would be there, and he’d made more than one advance on Penny. While Royce didn’t like the idea of any guy being interested in her, it was more than simply jealousy.

Or maybe he wanted it to be more.

He was her husband. He’d sworn to protect and care for her. That meant standing by her side, holding her hand, and presenting a united front when she wanted him there.

And that was the problem.

Penny had not asked him to be there.

“I took away her wedding, Quinn.” Those weren’t the words he’d expected to spill from his heart. And yet they kept coming. “We eloped. We walked through a chapel with bright lights and pop music. She held a bouquet we picked from a display.” Royce rubbed his chest in circles. “She deserved everything, and I gave her?—”

“Okay, none of that.” Quinn grimaced. “She’s an adult. From what I heard, you gave her exactly what her bucket list had on it. And you said yourself you’re going to give her a real wedding.So end this pity party, go home, and give her a big kiss when the wedding is over.”

Royce wanted to take Quinn’s advice.

Well, a small part of him did.

It was just too difficult to battle the man who wanted to show Penny he could be everything she needed. Even if that meant risking their secret.

Which, when he thought about it for more than two seconds, was exactly the kind of thinking that had gotten him into trouble before.

Heck, maybe this was the push he needed to just out himself. It had been exhausting to hide his feelings for Penny from the start, and now that they’d been married for weeks, all he wanted to do was shout the news from the rooftops.

He was deeply in love with that woman, and she deserved more than all this sneaking around. She deserved the whole entire world.

But she also deserved a husband who kept his promises.

Royce tossed back the rest of his soda and offered Quinn a smile. “Thanks for the advice.”

“Don’t bother thanking me,” she grumbled. “It’s not like you’re taking it.”

His mouth curved faintly, and she rolled her eyes with a groan. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

So did he.

The wedding receptionwas in full swing when Royce arrived. The ceremony must have gone well because everyone was happy and congratulating the newlyweds. Royce stood back in the shadows the best he could, hiding within groups of people hedidn’t recognize. From what he’d heard, Isabelle’s folks lived out of state, and the people she’d been raised around had come down for the wedding.

It wasn’t difficult at all to find Penny in the crowd.

She floated from group to group, introducing herself or welcoming people to the party. She might not have been the maid of honor, but she was a bridesmaid.

Dang, she was beautiful.

Her pale blue dress fit her like it had been tailor made just for her. He’d barely been able to keep his hands off her when she’d put on the silky material. She’d giggled at his antics, but he’d been more than honest about what she did to him.

She was his wife.

The thought still struck him hard.

Though it was true that he believed in God, he wasn’t exactly religious. Their town didn’t have a church. The closest one was a few towns over. Some of the folks had been petitioning to have one built, but apparently there was a lot of work that went into building and staffing a house of worship.